?? about a butterfly bush over winter.

[clh2]

I planted a very small butterfly bush this summer (it is a whopping 12" high) now. It is in a very unprotected area, i.e. not near my house. We live about 25 miles northwest of Milwaukee, so it can get pretty cold/snowy/windy in these parts.

Do I need to protect this at all? And, what is the best way to give this some protection?

Thanks for your help!
clh2

 

[Zurealsoon]

My Butterfly bush is now 6 feet tal, dies back in winter, and sprouts each spring. But I live in the South. Good luck!

 

[lanicastro]

I live in NE Ohio- we probably have the same weather. My butterfly bush is in the side yard which is also a windtunnel. I cut it back to just the last foot or so and it has survived for the past 4 years. It comes back bigger and better every year. I have to get out there soon and start cutting everything back- I am a little late this year. I would just cut yours back some, and it should come back bigger and better next year.

HTH
Lynn

 

[bobbiwoz]

I live in SW Ohio, and my butterfly bush is about 6 years old, and I think it's getting tired of coming back after our bad winters. It's only 3 feet tall now, and until this year it would grow to about 5-6 feet tall. I will try to protect it this year, but it may be too late for it.

Bobbi

 

[MNSusan]

I live in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, so about the same distance north as you, clh2. I usually plant a butterfly bush every season, but consider it as an annual. There's only one year in the past 5 that one has come back in the spring. The ones we get here are only hardy to zone 5, and we're zone 4.

Chances are, the cold weather will kill it to the ground. In the spring, cut it down to 6-12". Chances are 50/50 it'll come back for you.

 

[Cruise04]

I'm about 1 1/2 hours south of you and I have one on the west side of my house. I didn't cut it back last year (because I didn't know how it comes back each year) and waited until I found out what it does each year. So when I started to see things coming out of the ground, I cut it back down to the ground. When I planted it, it was about 2 feet tall and about 1 foot wide. This year it was at least 5 feet tall (I'm under 5 feet and it was taller than me by a bit) and at least 4 feet wide. I'm going to leave it until the spring again and let it feed off itself to help it grow.

I would think that if you wanted to, you could cut it down to the ground but leave about a 6" to 1 foot tall and cover it with one of those rose covers to help protect it some.

Good luck